RA’s Daily Russian News Blast – September 29, 2009
TODAY: Russia warns against ’emotional’ response to Iran missile launch; war games conclude. Opposition activists pleased with German election result; Ukrainian President’s plea for poisoners; report on war in Georgia to distribute blame evenly apparently. Human Rights Watch condemns lack of action on Caucasus rulings. Khodorkovsky says prosecutors playing with evidence. Internet users to be listed.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called a spate of Iranian missile tests ‘worrisome’ but has urged for ‘calm‘ in advance of the negotiations process. NATO envoy Dmitry Rogozin has said now that US missile defense looks to be based around cruisers, ‘under very bad circumstances’ there may be elements deployed in the Arctic. Tony Halpin in the Times argues the corner for Russia joining NATO. An op-ed piece in the Moscow Times suggests that despite the reset, anti-US sentiment is rife in Russia. President Medvedev has praised the purely ‘defensive’ joint Russia-Belarus Zapad 2009 war games.